Vision and sensor systems are important for a wide variety of applications. For example, the gathering and processing of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data is critical to many military and defense applications. Industries that use robotics and automated processes, including automotive and industrial markets, depend on vision and sensor systems to maintain a level of quality and functionality that would be impossible without them. These systems, and others, often use pan/tilt or azimuth/elevation mechanisms (often referred to as gimbals or gimbal systems) to increase their capabilities by effectively increasing their field of view. By allowing the sensor to be pointed in different directions, a single vision or sensor system can be directed at multiple targets or track a particular target over a range of positions.
A gimbal system is usually comprised of multiple motors or actuators with gearing and a connecting structure. Each motor controls an axis of motion. Typically, while one motor moves the sensor (or “payload”), another motor must move the first motor along with the sensor. Consequently, there is an inherent inefficiency in this type of device, which is sometimes called a “motion-on-motion” system. Such systems tend to be relatively large, in order to accommodate all the components required to control each axis. This in turn can limit the speed at which the sensor is moved in any axis. Moreover, the mechanical structure, the gearing, and the motors themselves can cause noise and dynamic disturbances that adversely affect the operation of the sensor.